AZhiker

At 3 months, I was at 500-600 cal/day. Did not work up to 1000/day until at least 6 months. You have to listen to your body. You cannot stuff more in that you can take comfortably. This same theme comes up over and over - the dietitian or surgeon telling people they need to eat twice as much as they can handle. Every body is different and you will be able to tolerate more volume at your own pace - not their's. Maybe you can drink any extra shake each day. Be sure you are exercising. It really will work out fine in the end, but please listen to what your body is telling you. Also, 3 -4 months is a typically time to stall a bit. That is normal and it will pass.

I have ordered Kristin Lloyd's "Mindset Success," and the workbook. I intend to start working through these after the holidays, with the hope of really hard wiring my new lifestyle changes.

But you've lost 68 pounds!!!!!! Woo hoo!!! And you will continue to lose during the holidays while the rest of them gain! They can have the sweets, but you will have sweet revenge! I always have a protein drink and/or a can of a favorite soup at work or whenever I go to a party. Then I am never blindsided and hungry at the same time (deadly combination.) You can do this! The party will be over soon enough, but you will still be on on track. In another month, all your co-workers will be whining about how much weight they gained, while you can smile smugly with even more weight gone.

Body dysmorphia is real and very weird. It really does take a while for the brain image to connect with the body image. When I was fat, I never thought of myself as anything but a little overweight. When I look at old pictures, I am horrified at how fat I really was. Then I had surgery and the lost 100 in 6 months. Wow. I then still "thought: of myself as overweight and felt like I had "lost" ME, as my body looked so differently in the mirror. All the new wrinkles and sags and disappearing breasts made me look like a very old woman. I lost confidence and thought people looked at me like I was an old hag. Now, after 10 months, my weight has stabilized and a lot of the sags have somehow become less. People actually tell me that I look younger and very healthy. "Amazing" is a word I hear now. And now that I am feeling amazing physically and doing things I never would have dreamed of a year ago, I am starting to see myself that way, too. It is truly an up-and-down experience, one I was not prepared for, but am now happy with. My brain is finally accepting the new body image as being ME - I didn't ever lose ME - I just needed to find ME again in a new and different way. You will, too. It just takes time.

It looks like the powder is whey and casein protein - definitely not vegan. Or did I read it wrong?

It was soooooo hard to retrain myself to eat smaller bites and to eat more slowly. Kudus to you for working on that now. It really will help later on. I was 63 when I had my surgery and I think age gives a perspective, as by that time, we are experiencing the actual effects of obesity on our bodies. You are going to have a whole new life! Congrats.

I was down 14 pounds two weeks after surgery, and reached goal at 7 months (105 pounds lost). You are doing great! HOrmones can really mess with your mind, as well as the ketosis you are in. Ketosis can also result in high energy and feelings of euphoria, so that may be around the corner for you. I would guess that so many hormones are being released from the fat tissue and that is causing a lot of the depression. Hang in there. You will make it through this and you will be successful. You are already beating one of the most serious and difficult addictions known to humankind - alcohol, and you will beat this food addiction as well. Do you think you transferred the alcohol addiction to food? I hope you can get (or continue) some really good therapy to help you in this battle. We are standing with you!

swimming is a great workout for arms, belly, legs, back - actually everything! And summer is the perfect time to start!

The big family bru-ha-ha is coming up and the host is providing the food (usually cold cuts, meats, cheeses, and various breads, crackers and buns. Probably also some commercially made potato salad, and of course several kinds of chips.) Guests are asked to bring drinks or appetizers or dessert. Sooooo, I am planning ahead to bring stuff that I can eat, but won't look like I am standing out in the crowd. I will be sure to take raw veggies with my homemade cashew nut/tahinni hummus dip, and a bean/legume salad. Maybe even a quinoa/kale/tempeh salad. Also some black bean brownies that are really yummy and no one would even guess they are made with beans and have no flour. (Several of us in our household are gluten free, and two are lactose intolerant, but the rest of the family just ignores that fact.) Since I am not eating processed foods, meat, dairy or gluten, it is always a challenge to go to these things. But.... if I have my raw veggies, some quinoa, and some legumes, I will have a full meal, with a little room left over for a black bean brownie. I know there will be a lot of us attending events and gatherings that will be challenging to our meal plans. The key is to be sure to bring enough side dishes that you can safely eat. Build your own meal ahead of time in your mind, so you will not feel deprived and will not be tempted by all the other food. For folks who are still on liquids or purees, you have to do the same thing. Plan your meal ahead of time, just like you would if you were home. Have a protein drink with you and a hot drink container of soup. Take a small container of whatever solid food you are able to eat, if you don't know what is being served. I have found that if you hold a small plate and push the food around, no one even notices that you aren't eating it, especially if you move around and socialize.

On FluffyChix's recommendation, I got "The Alternate Day Diet" by James Johnson, MD. Love it! I really like how he cites the research and evidence. I'm about half way through and started ADF today. I've done it before, but preferred 16:8 IF, which I am struggling with due to exercise demands and the doggone ulcer. BUT the restricted caloric intake is so easy and can be timed to meet my biking/ hiking routines. And I can eat small snacks spread throughout the day if my tum ulcer is needing something for the acid to work on. Anyway, thanks FC for a great read that is scratching right where I itch right now! This journey is such an adventure - so many new things to learn and tools to unpack.

Looking good! Keep up the great work!

try the egg drop soup first. If I was just starting on solid proteins, and had to eat steamed chicken from a Chinese take out, I would get the egg drop soup to moisten each bite really well. But be sure you are cleared for chicken first.

Whenever you find yourself "literally sitting" it is time to get up and move! Makes you feel so much better. I was sort of down yesterday and feeling stressed. Decided to go for a bike ride and I felt soooo good once I was doing it and then much more empowered afterward. "literally sitting" is a bad place to be. It is depressing, inward looking, unmotivating, and really sets one up for emotional eating. Getting some blood circulation to the brain and releasing some endorphins is a much better place!

Get out and take a little walk. You really will feel better and more empowered.

I was back to work in two weeks, with lifting restriction (nursing).

One of the most amazing results from my WLS is NO JOINT PAIN! I've already had 1 knee replacement and was getting ready for the 2nd one, due to so much pain and losing my ability to function. Also continual low back pain. Since losing weight, I have no more pain in back or knees. Maybe I will never even need the 2nd knee replacement?!?! I was on Aleve twice a day, every day, but have not taken an NSAID since surgery and sure don't need it now. This is just amazing to me. What a difference in life quality. I just finished a 50 mile bike ride with no pain! Going hiking today, and loving life!

Yup, it is your choice and I applaud you for wanting to get healthier. I was 63 when I got my bypass and it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I have my life back! I am doing things now I never could have dreamed of a year ago. And you know what? I can eat ANYTHING I WANT! I just don't want the same junky stuff anymore! I went out to eat tonight with our staff and had a wonderful meal with lots of leftovers to bring home. After surgery, your tastes change and as you build your new lifestyle, you will start choosing healthier options in small portions. I promise you - a year after surgery you CAN eat anything you want, but you just won't want the same foods or same portions. You will also have learned to exchange the pleasure from food with pleasure from things that are more meaningful and lasting. You will be free from the entrapment of food and the chains of always needing food to meet your emotional needs. You still have to do the hard work, but surgery is an incredible gift and tool to help you get the life back that you have lost and deserve to find again.

I think a lot of it is relative to your prior experiences. I've had broken ribs, a broken pelvis, open hysterectomy, a total knee replacement, thoracic surgery to remove a tumor from my esophagus, and two babies. ALL of these had far more pain than the RNY. RNY was a piece of cake. Yes, there was soreness and pain for a week or two, especially on our bumpy road, but each week got better and easier. I needed a couple doses of morphine during the first night in the hospital. After I got home, I took a couple doses of Tramadol and then it was liquid Tylenol only. I started walking right away and was up to 10,000 steps by the end of the first week. I was really worried about gas pain. I don't know why that concerned me so much, but I never had any gas pain at all, which was great. If you got through the sleeve OK, you will be fine with RNY.

My hiatal hernia was repaired at the time of my RNY. No problems and recovery was the same as for RNY.

Congratulations!!!!!!

Love your attitude and determination! You soooo have this!

I had to wait 8 weeks before any veggies were allowed! And I have an organic vegetable garden! It was killing me! Soooo...... I got my greens (lots of different kinds), put them in the blender/Ninja with some water and made a green slurry that I strained and then ran through coffee filter paper. I added my "green water" to everything - my water bottle, my smoothies, my soups. My doc was mad at first when she saw my water bottle, but I showed her that it was a CLEAR liquid which was allowed, and then she agreed I could drink it. (Lot better for me than Crystal Lite or artificially flavored/colored/sweetened drinks.) So that is what I did. I felt like I got my healthy phytonutrients and all the good vitamins, but without the fiber that was forbidden. Brocolli, for some reason, still upsets my tum a bit. Well cooked or shredded Brussels sprouts are OK. Even at 10 months out, I have to chew salad very slowly and very well.

I like to stay away from it for 3 reasons - 1) it is a processed product which I am avoiding, 2) the brain can interpret any kind of sweetener as caloric intake and cause increases in insulin, and 3) I m trying to retrain my taste buds. A few raisins or some banana add quite enough sweetening for me and I don't want sugar cravings to start up. I do have some dark chocolate once in a while, but it is a treat in its own right - not a sweetener for something else.

In my case, it appears to have triggered the esosinophilic esophagitis, so if the whey is indeed the culprit, avoiding it is a no brainer for me.